Flush-tank valve



c. 0. WITHERSPOON.

FLUSH TANK VALVE.

FILED JUNE 10,1920.

5] noon V60 I r/N/ Gite (1121 0 Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAIR-LES O. WITHERSPOON, OF MINERVA, OHIO.

FLUSH-TANK VALVE.

Application filed June 10, 1920. Serial No. 387,911.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. WITHER- SPOON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minerva, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio,;have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flush-Tankv Valves; and I do declare the following to be a full,wclear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in flush tank valves of the type which serveto automatically check the flow of water into the tank after the same has'been emptied vand is being refilled.

The main object of the invention is-toprovide a device of the above mentioned type -which includes a novel valve carrier, the same being equipped with a removable packing which is sovconnected therewith that it may be quickly and easily replaced whenever necessary or. desired by an unskilledv hand without removing the body of the device from the tank and without necessitating cutting 013? of the water.

Another object of the invention is to generally improve upon devices of this class by providing one of extreme simplicity which.

vention will be apparent during the course.

of the following description.

In theaccompanying drawings-forming a part of this-specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same: T

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a valve constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical sectional view thereof.

Figure 3 is a front end elevation thereof. Figures 4 and 5 are sections taken ap' pro ximately on the'lines H and 5-5 of Figure 2. Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1. r

In carrying outmy invention I employ a valve body 1 which includes a screw-thread ed neck 2, the latter extending through an ope sition by means of a retaining nut 3.

ning in the tank T and being held in o- X- tending entirely throughthe body is a passage 4: which communicates at one end with a suitable water supply pipe (not shown),

the

outlet end of this passage being downturned'and provided with a valve seat '5. Adjacent to and below this valve seat is valve chamber 6 open at its front, thesame including a pair of spaced vertical walls 7 and 8, the latter of which is apertured'at 9 for communication with the bored enlargement 10 with which a refilling tube 11 connects. Disposed at the top of the body and extending laterally therefrom is a second bored enlargement 12 which constitutes a guide, through which a valve actuating stem 13 extends, the latter having detachable connection at its lower end with a valve 14., At

its

opposite end it is provided with a head 15 beneath which the forks 16of bell crank lever 17 are disposed. The bell crank lever in this instance is pivoted between spaced ears 17 carried by the valve body 1 and is. actuated by means'fof a float controlled rod The valve However, I' intend to employ the type of 14: may be of any construction.

valve illustrated. Examination of the same will disclose the fact that this valve includes a shelf-like part 19 which extends "into the chamber 6 through its open front,-and an enlarged finger grip 20 which is provided with a screw-threaded hole,permitting itv to have detachable connection with the. reduced screw-threaded end of, the stem 13;

The

part 19 of thevalve is provided with a pair of upwardly directed flanges 21, the inner faces 'of which are inclined downwardly and outwardly in directions opposite to each other so that when the rubberp'ad 22 is placed between these flanges, itwill be held against displacement:

t is to be noted that the head of the actu deemed unnecessary.

ating stem 13 is slotted to permit it to be rotated, using a screw-driver. Hence, the valve 14 may be quickly and easily removed in order to enable a new packing to be placed thereon.

To remove the renewable rubber packing from the carrier or holder, it is only necessary to insert the end of a screw-driver in the slot in the head of the afore-said stem and turn the screw-driver until the stem becomes disengaged from its carrier. Then, reach down into the tank and grasp the finger-grip or exposed portion of the carrier and slide the latter out of the cham ber. When the carrier is removed from the chamber in this way, the worn packing can be removed and a new one substituted therefor and the carrier replaced in its chamber and connected with its stem again for operation. It is to be noted that it is never neces sary to remove the valve body from the tank in order to remove the packing, nor is it even necessary to shut off the water, because by opening a couple of faucets in the bathroom and holding down the release lever on the flush tank, the pressure of water coming into the tank is relieved sufficiently to permit the new packing to be installed, and this requires but-a few seconds and can be done by unskilled persons as before indicated.

A valve constructed in accordance with this invention will be found extremely advantageousin that it is made up of extremely few inexpensive parts which construction permits it'to be easily and readily installed, repaired, or permits any of the parts thereof to be replaced. Particular emphasis is to be laid on the cons-truction'of the valve which is removable to permit a new pad or packing to be installed. It is also to be noted that the valve may be adjusted close to or further from the valve seat so as to cause it to close when the water is at a low or high level in the tank, as the case may be.

Careful consideration of the foregoing de scription in connect-ion with the accompanying drawings will enable persons skilled in this art to acquire a sufficient understanding of the operation and construct-ion as may be necessary for making and using the same. For this reason, further description is It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various minor changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A flush-tank valve comprising a body having a water passage therethrough and a valve seat at one end of said passage, below which is a chamber including spaced vertical walls, a valve vertically movable between said walls, a portion of said valve extending beyond the front vertical. edges of the wall and constituting a finger-grip, said. fingergrip being provided with a screw-threaded hole, a guide carried by the aforesaid body, being disposed in vertical alinement with said hole, a stem extending through said guide and having its lower threaded end engaged with the threads in the aforesaid hole, and float-controlled means associated with the upper end of said stem for imparting movement to the latter.

2. A flush-tank valve comprising a body having a water passage therethrough at the discharging end of which is a valve seat, said body being provided below said seat with a chamber which is open at its front and bottom and includes closed-vertical ides having flat inner faces, a valve removably arranged in said chamber and vertically movable between the inner faces of said sides, a portion of said valve being arranged. in the chamber and a portion thereof extending beyond the front edges of said sides and this extended portion constituting a fingergrip, and float-controlled mechanism associated with the finger-grip for automatically actuating said valve.

3. A flush tank valve comprising a body having a water passage extending therethrough, at the discharge end of which is a valve seat, said body also embodying a chamber disposed beneath said seat and being open at its front and bottom and including spaced vertical walls, a guide on said body, a float-actuated valve-controlling stern extending through said guide, being equipped on its upper end with an enlargement constituting a head designed to permit a tool to be engaged therewith for rotating said stem, a valve detachably'and adjustably connected to the lower end of said stem and extending laterally therefrom through the open front face of said chamber and into the latter, and a renewable packing member carried by the valve and engaged with the afore said sea-t.

4. A flush-tank valve comprising a body for permanent dispositionin the tank, said body being provided with a water passage and having a valve-seat at the discharge end of said passage, a chamber beneath said valve, being open at its front and at its bottom, spaced ears on the upper portionof said body and an integral guide, a valve 5136111 slidable through said guide, being equipped on itsupper end with. a slotted head, and being screw-threaded at its lower end, a forked bell crank lever fulcrumed between the aforesaid ears and having its arms straddling the stem beneath said. head, float-con- I threaded end of said stem, extending from said stem, and a renewable pacln'ng laterally from the latter through the open member detachably connected with that porsides of said chamber and into the latter, tion of the valve extending into said cham- 10 a portion of said valve being extended out ber. I 5 wardly beyond the chamber and constitut- Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set ing a finger-grip to permit the valve to be my hand.

slid from the chamber when disconnected CHARLES O. WITHERSPOON. 

